Method of Scanning Medical Instruments

The present invention relates generally to a method of using a medical device; and more particularly to a method of scanning medical instruments.

During surgical procedures, a large number and diverse array of medical instruments is typically used for various surgical operations, such as surgical scissors, scalpels, etc. To manage the usage status of the medical instruments, it is common to label a code on surfaces of the medical instruments. After surgery, the medical instruments are then inventoried by comparing the codes of the medical instruments to ensure none of the medical instruments are missing, thus avoiding the situation where the medical instruments are left inside the body of the patient.

However, the conventional way to inventory the medical instruments often relies on visual identification, which is prone to human error. Moreover, manual adjustment of the orientation of the surface of the medical instruments is required during the identification process to bring the codes of the medical instruments to the front for easier recognition. Additionally, due to the limitations of human capabilities, it is challenging to inventory a large number of medical instruments simultaneously. Consequently, the entire inventorying process is time-consuming, which leads to a decrease in overall efficiency and accuracy.

Therefore, there is still room for improvement in conventional techniques for inventorying the medical instruments. Enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of medical instrument scanning is problem needed to be solved in the industry.

In view of the above, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method of scanning medical instruments. By replacing manual operations with automated equipment, the efficiency and accuracy of scanning medical instruments are enhanced.

The present invention provides a method of scanning medical instruments, wherein the method of scanning medical instruments is for reading a code of at least one medical instrument. The code contains an instrument data corresponding to the at least one medical instrument. The method of scanning medical instruments includes capturing a first image of the at least one medical instrument by an image capture unit; capturing a second image of the at least one medical instrument by a lateral image capture unit, wherein the second image is different from the first image; and providing a process module to receive the first image and the second image, and reading the code of the at least one medical instrument from the first image and the second image.

Through the method of scanning medical instruments, the code of the at least one medical instrument could be automatically scanned and compared, thus replacing manual operations to enhance overall efficiency. Additionally, with the design of the image capture unit and the lateral image capture unit, the efficiency and accuracy of scanning medical instruments are enhanced.

A medical instrument scanning deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated intoand is adapted to scan a codeof at least one medical instrument, wherein the codeis located on a surface of the at least one medical instrument. The codeof the at least one medical instrumentcould be, for example, a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode engraved or affixed onto the surface of the at least one medical instrument. In the current embodiment, the at least one medical instrumentis illustrated as a plurality of the medical instrumentsas an example, and the codeis exemplified by a QR code which is formed by recessing into the surface of the medical instrumentthrough engraving.

Referring toto, the medical instrument scanning deviceincludes a casing, a leg part B, a longitudinal read module, and a lateral read module. The casinghas an accommodating spaceand a lower opening, wherein the accommodating spacecommunicates with the lower opening. The longitudinal read moduleand the lateral read moduleare accommodated in the accommodating space. The leg part B is disposed beneath the casingand forms a space S, wherein the space S communicates with both the accommodating spaceof the casingand the lower opening, so that the space S is adapted to accommodate the medical instrumentswhich are scanned.

Referring toand, the medical instrument scanning devicedefines a lateral axis L. The longitudinal read moduleincludes a plurality of image capture unitsand a light source, wherein the image capture unitsare arranged along the lateral axis Land are adapted to capture images of the medical instruments.

In the current embodiment, the image capture unitsare illustrated with three image capture unitsas an example. By providing multiple image capture units, a scanning area is enlarged and thereby a large number of medical instruments could be scanned in a single scan, thus improving the efficiency of medical instrument scanning. In other embodiments, the number of the image capture unitcould be one, two, or more, depending on the actual scanning requirements of medical instruments. Besides, the image capture unitcould be equipped with a wide-angle lens to expand the field of view as needed. In other words, the number of the image capture unitcould be adjusted according to the size of the field of view.

In the current embodiment, the light source is a light board, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the light source could be a point light source or other light sources. As shown in, the medical instrument scanning devicedefines a first reference axis L. The light boardis disposed beneath the image capture units, and a first distance is provided between the light boardand each of the image capture unitsalong the first reference axis L. Moreover, the light boardhas a plurality of longitudinal through holes, wherein the number and the position of the longitudinal through holescorrespond to the number and the position of the image capture units. The longitudinal through holesare arranged along the lateral axis L. In the current embodiment, the number of the longitudinal through holesis three in correspondence to the three image capture units.

Referring to, an optical axis of each of the image capture unitscould correspondingly pass through each of the longitudinal through holesand the lower openingof the casingin a manner parallel to the first reference axis L, so that the image capture unitscould capture images of the medical instrumentsdisposed beneath the casing. A light axis of the light boardcould pass through the lower openingof the casingin a manner parallel to the first reference axis L, and illuminate the surfaces of the medical instruments.

Referring to, the light boardfurther includes a first reflection filterdisposed on a lower surface of the light board. The first reflection filterallows the light of the light boardto pass through the lower openingof the casingin a manner parallel to the first reference axis L, and illuminate the surfaces of the medical instruments. This prevents the reflected light generated by the medical instrumentsfrom affecting the images captured by the image capture unit.

Referring toand, in the current embodiment, the longitudinal read moduleincludes a plurality of second reflection filters. The number of the second reflection filtersis three in correspondence to the number of the image capture units. Each of the second reflection filtersis disposed between each of the image capture unitsand the light board, so that the second reflection filtersfilter out the reflected light from the metal surfaces of the medical instruments, which is generated by the light emitted from the light board. Thereby, the design of the second reflection filtersenhances the resolution of the images captured by the image capture unitsand improves the accuracy of code reading.

Referring toand, the lateral read moduleincludes a plurality of lateral image capture unitsand a lateral light source. The lateral image capture unitsare arranged along the lateral axis Land are adapted to capture images of the medical instruments. In the current embodiment, the number of the lateral image capture unitsis three, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the number of the lateral image capture unitcould be one, two, or more. By providing multiple lateral image capture units, the scanning area could be enlarged and thereby a large number of medical instruments could be scanned in a single scan, thus improving the efficiency of medical instrument scanning. Besides, the lateral image capture unitscould be equipped with the wide-angle lens to expand the field of view as needed. In other words, the number of the lateral image capture unitcould be adjusted according to the size of the field of view.

Moreover, in the current embodiment, the number and the position of the image capture unitscorrespond to the number and the position of the lateral image capture units. In other embodiments, the number and the position of the image capture unitsand the number and the position of the lateral image capture unitscould be independently adjusted to meet different requirements.

In the current embodiment, the lateral light source is a lateral light board, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the lateral light source could be a point light source, etc. As shown in, the medical instrument scanning devicedefines a second reference axis L. The lateral light boardis disposed beneath the lateral image capture units, and a second distance is provided between the lateral light boardand each of the lateral image capture unitsalong the second reference axis L. Moreover, the lateral light boardhas a plurality of lateral through holescorresponding to the image capture units. The lateral through holesare arranged along the lateral axis L. In the current embodiment, the number of the lateral through holesis three in correspondence to the number of the image capture units.

Referring to, an optical axis of each of the lateral image capture unitscould correspondingly pass through each of the lateral through holesand the lower openingof the casingin a manner parallel to the first reference axis L, so that the lateral image capture unitscould capture images of the medical instrumentsdisposed beneath the casing. A light axis of the lateral light boardcould pass through the lower openingof the casingin a manner parallel to the second reference axis L, and illuminate the surfaces of the medical instruments.

Moreover, the medical instrument scanning devicedefines a lateral reference plane R which passes through the light boardand is parallel to the light board. The lateral light boardhas a first sideand a second sidethat are opposite to each other. The first sideis closer to the light boardcompared to the second side, and the first sideof the lateral light boardis farther from the lateral reference plane R compared to the second side. In other words, the light axis of the lateral light boardis not parallel to the light axis of the light board.

As shown inand, the lateral read moduleis disposed next to the longitudinal read module, and an angle θ is provided between the first reference axis Land the second reference axis L. In other words, the angle θ is between the optical axis of each of the image capture unitsand the optical axis of each of the lateral image capture units. The angle θ is greater than 0 degree and is less than or equal to 60 degrees. Preferably, the angle θ could be greater than or equal to 15 degrees and be less than or equal to 45 degrees. In the current embodiment, the angle θ is illustrated as 30 degrees as an example. Thereby, the lateral read moduleand the longitudinal read modulecould capture images of the medical instrumentsfrom different directions. In this way, when the medical instrumentsare not placed flat or are tilted at different angles, the medical instrument scanning devicecould still accurately read the codeon each of the medical instrumentsby the images captured by both the longitudinal read moduleand the lateral read module, thereby enhancing the scanning capability of the medical instrument scanning device.

Referring to, the lateral light boardfurther includes a first reflection filterdisposed on a lower surface of the lateral light board. The first reflection filterallows the light of the lateral light boardto pass through the lower openingof the casingin a manner parallel to the second reference axis L, and illuminate the surfaces of the medical instruments. This prevents the reflected light generated by the medical instrumentsfrom affecting the images captured by the lateral image capture unit.

Referring toand, in the current embodiment, the lateral read moduleincludes a plurality of second reflection filters. The number of the second reflection filterscorrespond to the number of the lateral image capture units. In the current embodiment, the number of the second reflection filtersis three in correspondence to the number of the lateral image capture units. The second reflection filtersare disposed between the lateral image capture unitsand the lateral light board, so that the second reflection filtersfilter out the reflected light from the metal surfaces of the medical instruments. Thereby, the design of the second reflection filtersenhances the resolution of the images captured by the lateral image capture unitsand improves the accuracy of code reading.

In the current embodiment, the number of the lateral read moduleis illustrated as one as an example. In other embodiments, the number of the lateral read modulecould also be plural. For example, the plurality of lateral read modulescould be arranged around the longitudinal read module, thereby capturing images of the medical instrumentsform more different directions to have a wider field of view, thus enhancing the scanning capability of the medical instrument scanning device. As shown in, in another embodiment, the number of the lateral read moduleis two. The two lateral read modulesare disposed next to the longitudinal read moduleand are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the longitudinal read module. In this way, when the medical instrumentsare not placed flat or are tilted at different angles, the medical instrument scanning devicecould still accurately read the codeon each of the medical instrumentsby the images captured by both the longitudinal read moduleand the lateral read modules.

A medical instrument scanning system according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inand includes the medical instrument scanning deviceof the aforementioned embodiment, a process module, and a display device. The process moduleis electrically connected to both the medical instrument scanning deviceand the display device.

A method of scanning medical instruments according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in. In the current embodiment, the method of scanning medical instruments is executed by the aforementioned medical instrument scanning system as an example. In practice, the method of scanning medical instruments could also be executed by other devices, which means that the method of scanning medical instruments is not limited to being executed by the aforementioned medical instrument scanning system. The codeof the each of the medical instrumentscontains an instrument data corresponding to each of the medical instruments. In the current embodiment, the instrument data could include a name, a serial number, a placement location, and other information of each of the medical instruments. The method of scanning medical instruments includes the following steps.

Step S: capturing a first image of the medical instrumentsby an image capture unit. In the current embodiment, the image capture unit is the image capture unitof the aforementioned embodiment. In order to illustrate easily, the number of the image capture unitin the current embodiment is illustrated as one as an example. In other embodiments, the number of the image capture unitcould also be one, two, or more. In the current embodiment, the number of the first image corresponds to the number of the image capture unit. In practice, it is necessary to first place the medical instrumentsin the space S, which is located at the bottom of medical instrument scanning device, to prepare for scanning.

Step Sfurther includes providing the light source. Both the optical axis of the image capture unitand the light axis of the light source are parallel to the first reference axis L. The light source emits light along the first reference axis Land illuminates the surfaces of the medical instruments.

Step S: capturing a second image of the medical instrumentsby a lateral image capture unit, wherein the second image is different from the first image. In the current embodiment, the lateral image capture unit is the lateral image capture unitof the aforementioned embodiment. In order to illustrate easily, the number of the lateral image capture unitin the current embodiment is illustrated as one as an example. In practice, the number of the lateral image capture unitcould also be one, two, or more. In the current embodiment, the number of the second image corresponds to the number of the lateral image capture unit. Alternatively, the number of the second image could be determined by configuring a relevant parameter of the lateral image capture unit, wherein the relevant parameter is the number of the second image captured by the lateral image capture unitover a period of time.

Step Sfurther includes providing the lateral light source. Both the optical axis of the lateral image capture unitand the light axis of the lateral light source are parallel to the second reference axis L. The lateral light source emits light along the second reference axis Land illuminates the surfaces of the medical instruments. The execution order of step Sand step Sis not limited to executing step Sbefore step S, as shown in the current embodiment. Step Scould be executed before step Sor step Sand step Scould be executed simultaneously.

With the design of the angle θ provided between the first reference axis Land the second reference axis L, which means that the optical axis of the lateral image capture unitis not parallel to the optical axis of the image capture unit, the lateral image capture unitand the image capture unitcould capture images of the medical instrumentsto be scanned from different directions. Thereby, the second image captured by the lateral image capture unitis different from the first image captured by the image capture unit. The angle θ is greater than 0 degree and is less than or equal to 60 degrees. Preferably, the angle θ could be greater than or equal to 15 degrees and be less than or equal to 45 degrees. In the current embodiment, the angle θ is illustrated as 30 degrees as an example.

Step S: providing a process moduleto receive the first image and the second image, and reading the codeof each of the medical instrumentsfrom both the first image and the second image. The process moduleis electrically connected to both the image capture unitand the lateral image capture unit. The process modulerecognizes the image of the codein both the first image and the second image and reads the codeto obtain the instrument data corresponding to the medical instrument.

The method of scanning medical instruments includes providing an instrument list, wherein the instrument listincludes at least one code data D. The process modulereads the instrument data from the codeand compares the instrument data with the at least one code data D to generate a comparison result. In the current embodiment, the instrument listcould be obtained by connecting an external storage device such as a USB drive, a hard disk, etc. In other embodiments, the number of the instrument listand the number of the at least one code data D could be established according to the requirements of different surgeries. The at least one code data D could include information such as a name, a serial number, a placement location, and a quantity of the medical instrumentrequired for the surgery. For example, multiple instrument listscould be established to correspond to the requirements of different surgeries for user selection, and each of the instrument listscould include multiple code data D that are different from one another. Each of the code data D includes the information such as a name, a serial number, a placement location, and a quantity of the corresponding medical instrument.

The method of scanning medical instruments includes providing a display deviceto display the comparison result. The comparison result includes the at least one code data D. When the instrument data matches the at least one code data D, a mark is displayed at a location of the matched code data D. The mark could be made by using different colors or by different ways. For example, as shown in, multiple code data D of an instrument listare displayed on the display devicefor user to view, and the code data D have not yet been marked with color. When the process modulereads the codeof each of the medical instrumentsfrom both the first image and the second image to obtain the instrument data corresponding to each of the medical instruments, the process modulecompares the code data D with the instrument data of the medical instruments. When one of the code data D matches the instrument data, a color mark is displayed at a location of the matched code data D as shown in. Thereby, a user could clearly determine whether the medical instrumentsin the instrument listare indeed located in a carrier.

Moreover, the method of scanning medical instruments includes displaying, by the display device, the instrument data when the instrument data does not match the at least one code data D. For example, when a medical instrumentthat does not exist in the instrument listappears in the carrier and correspondingly the instrument data does not match the code data D, the display devicedisplays the instrument data of the medical instrumentthat does not exist in the instrument listas shown in. In this way, the user could clearly know the instrument data of the medical instrumentthat should not exist in the carrier below, so that the user could remove the medical instrumentthat should not exist.

Referring to, the method of scanning medical instruments further includes the following steps:

Step S′: recording the code data D in the at least one code data D, which does not match the instrument data of the medical instruments, as a scanning file. The image capture unitcaptures another first image of the medical instrument.

Step S′: capturing another second image of the medical instrumentby the lateral image capture unit, wherein the another second image is different from the another first image.

Step S′: receiving, by the process module, both the another first image and the another second image, reading, by the process module, the codeof each of the medical instrumentsfrom both the another first image and the another second image, and comparing, by the process module, the code data D in the at least one code data D that does not match the instrument data of the medical instrumentwith the instrument code corresponding to the codebased on the scanning file.

For example, as shown in, when the comparison result displayed by the display devicestill contains the code data D that has not yet been marked with color, the process modulecould record the code data D in the at least one code data D that does not match the instrument data of the medical instrumentsas the scanning file. Then, the user adjusts the placement or the orientation of the medical instruments, and places the medical instrumentsinto the space S of the medical instrument scanning devicefor scanning again. Next, the process modulereads the codefrom both the another first image and the another second image, and compares the code data D that has not been marked with color with the instrument data of the corresponding codebased on the scanning file. When the code data D matches the instrument data, the color mark is displayed at the location of the matched code data D as described above. The user could repeat the aforementioned steps until all code data D in the instrument listhave been marked with color.

In summary, with the design of the angle θ provided between the first reference axis Land the second reference axis L, the medical instrument scanning devicecould capture images of contours the medical instrumentsto be scanned from different directions. In this way, when the medical instrumentsare not placed flat or are tilted at different angles, the codeon each of the medical instrumentscould still be accurately read from the images captured by both the longitudinal read moduleand the lateral read module. In this way, the scanning capability of the medical instrument scanning devicecould be enhanced and the efficiency and the accuracy of inventorying the medical instruments could be improved. With the method of scanning medical instruments, the codeof the at least one medical instrumentcould automatically be scanned and compared, thus replacing manual operations to enhance overall efficiency. Moreover, with the disposal of the longitudinal read moduleand the lateral read module, the efficiency and the accuracy of medical instrument scanning could be further enhanced.

It must be pointed out that the embodiments described above are only some preferred embodiments of the present invention. All equivalent structures which employ the concepts disclosed in this specification and the appended claims should fall within the scope of the present invention.